Daddy Dearest
by LaughingLadybug
Summary: What happens when Simmons dies, leaving behind her and Fitz's daughter for him to raise? (contains religious content in later chapters.)
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

Had she have it her way, he would've never known. But, as Jemma Simmons lay there in a heap of metal and blood, she smiled, knowing that the one person she loved more than anything on this earth wouldn't be alone. The sound of sirens in the background made no difference. No, she did not have a death wish, but she was a realist. She knew she had something sharp in her stomach, and she knew why her favorite blouse was not soaked in soda or orange juice.

Jemma Simmons was not giving up, she was making peace with everything. Because of that, and that alone, she smiled. For she had the foresight to make sure her child went to the man she should be with, her father and her mother's love, Agent Leo Fitz.

"Goodbye Jenny, goodbye Leo, I love you both," she thought, "take care of each other."


	2. Chapter 2: The Will

He cried, that's all he could do was cry. Jemma Simmons, his best friend, his other half, the love of his life, was dead. She didn't die from a disease or an assassin's bullet, but a car crash. A bloody car crash ended her days.

Needless to say, Fitz was distraught. Before then, he always thought the term, "Broken heart," was just a figure of speech, but now he knew different. He could feel his hear shatter like a mirror and all its shards tearing him apart from the inside out.

Somehow he made it through the funeral without crying too badly. He didn't understand why her parents would glare at him. Was it improper not to cry at funerals in London? Or maybe it was simply because he was Scottish? All Fitz knew was that Jemma was in front of him, dead and in a wooden box about to be buried.

Somehow he stayed strong when he watched said box be locked closed and lowered into the ground.

Leo did not fall apart until after the funeral, when it came time for to read her will.

"Everyone is to be excused except for Grant Ward, Skye, Phillip Coulson, Jennifer Fitz, Melinda May, and Leo Fitz," a British lawyer announced. The rest of Jemma's biological family, feeling disgruntled, left. Five adults were left, but where was the sixth? They couldn't see her anywhere.

"To Agent Grant Ward, I leave a polymer I'd been working for the 'Yuck Gun.' This will paralyze any enemy for 15 minutes. Do NOT freeze. For Skye, I leave my laptop and any games and games alone that may be on it. To Coulson and May I leave my favorite photos of the team. They're in a decorative box with a horse on it. ." Everyone seemed pleased with what they got, but they all still rather have Simmons.

"Now Leo and Jenny Fitz," he said. "To my darling daughter, Jenny, I leave all my worldly possessions and for you, my dear Fitz, I leave our daughter. Leo meet Jenny, Jenny meet Leo." Fitz looked all around him and saw a child with his blue-gray eyes and Jemma's hair…and well, everything else climbing out from under the table.

He stayed calm, even though he was unraveling inside. He stayed calm when he helped Jenny pack her things and move onto the bus and into the very bunk her mother used to sleep in. He stayed calm when he told his family about him being the father of a four year old child that he never knew he had.

Yes, that entire day of trauma and discovery, he was the steady rock he should've been for the child's sake, but when he was alone in his lab, he finally fell apart. Tears streamed down his face like rain as everyone else slept. "Jemma," he whispered to himself. "Why? Why, Jemma, why? I don't know how to raise a child, I didn't even know how to be one when I was a kid. What do I do?"


	3. Chapter 3: Act The Part

It was sad, really, watching a child as young as Jenny raise herself while the only parent she had left moped about. Jenny got herself up, tucked herself in, brushed her own hair, brushed her teeth, and even got herself dress, albeit not well, but dressed. The only thing her father was good for was food, buttoning buttons, tying shoes and working the television.

For a four year old, she was quiet. Only once or twice would she speak to Fitz, "Daddy can you…" or "Daddy, I need…." Leo doesn't even register that she's referring to him as her father. All he does is say yes or no. There is no real parenting.

"That's it," Skye said to Ward after watching it occur again while on the couch.

"What is," he asked as he loosened his grip on her.

"Fitz! I've had enough of him," she growled. Slowly, Skye turned into a snarling beast, created by years of mistreatment and neglect as a child. "He just-just sits there and ignores that little girl. He treats her like one of his lab rats," she yelled. "At least he _plays _with his lab rats. All he does with Jenny is feed her, ties her shoes, and lets a tv babysit while he works."

"Well you can't expect him to hover over her either," Grant pointed out.

"No, but I don't expect him to ignore the poor child either. I mean think about it, he lost a love but she lost her _mommy."_

"Point well taken," said Ward.

"I'm going to go talk to that brilliant moron." Sky stood up and picked up Jenny, who was starting to nod off in front of the television. The four year old jumped in her arms, "Shhh," said Skye. "It's nap time, and then when you wake up we'll play for a little bit, huh?" All Jenny did was nod before resting her head in the woman's neck. Skye then carried the child to her bunk and tucked her in before going to Fitz's lab. In attempt to get his attention, after saying his name twenty times, she took off her green flip flop and slapped him with it.

"Ow," he mumbled. She slapped him again. "OUCH," he yelled in his deep Scottish, "that _actually _hurt!"

"Good," she snapped, "you deserve it!"

"W-what? Why?"

"Because of what you're doing to that poor little girl," Skye answered him with hatred in her eyes.

Fitz became indignant, "You're not accusing me of-"

"No, of course, I'd never call you a pedophile, but you are an awful father."

Silence; Fitz hung his head in shame, knowing he had failed Jemma. "Now listen to me," the hacker continued, "you are going to man up and be a father. That means you will help her get dressed. You will make sure she gets three square meals a day, you will make sure she bathes _daily _and you will help her lay out her clothes and help her get dressed every morning. You are going to treat her like your daughter, not your plant. Do you understand?" He nodded, and before leaving Skye made him have one revelation, "You're not the only one that lost Simmons, you know."


	4. Chapter 4: Mommy

Jenny sat on her father's lab table, watching him tinker with some sort of small engine. The toddler would quietly ask him questions or tell him about her day or what she was thinking at the moment. Fitz would do his best to listen as he worked. On occasion he would miss a few things, but it only happened every so often. Months had passed since Simmons death. Fitz was doing better. He was pass the stage where he mopes about, just hoping that Jemma would magically appear at his door, talking animatedly about a new discovery that he just _had _to see.

Jenny was…adjusting. She was different around everyone. With Skye, she was a ball of energy, bouncing off the walls. She would giggle and squeal and act like any other child her age when playing. However, with Ward she was his shadow. She'd follow him around, and despite himself, Ward found it endearing. With Coulson and May, she was a grandchild of sorts. She ask May about the kind of birds she'd see up here, and the Calvary would do her best to entertain her with all kinds of birds she'd see, even though most birds don't fly up that high. Then she'd go sit in Coulson's office and tell him stories from her own imagination, she would even draw him pictures and he'd proudly display them all on the front of his desk.

However with Fitz, her own father, she was a baby. If she was hurt or sick or even upset, she'd go to him. She was far more loving around him than anybody else, and far more quiet. She'd only talk if it was just the two of them. There were still some things that she did that bothered him. Like how'd she'd try to take her dinner off to eat alone or how'd she'd go tuck herself in and sing herself to sleep while he'd be finishing up some work in the lab. But still, he knew that she was still adjusting. He's not her mother, and there's some things he can't do, or doesn't know to do. Every night he prays that he knows what to do the next time there's a problem.

"Fitz," Coulson yelled, "meeting! Now!"

Leo immediately turned to the toddler, "Stay right here, and don't touch _anything. _Understood?" Jen nodded. "Good girl," Fitz whispered before kissing her forehead and dashing off to the meeting room.

Ten minutes later, a crash was heard along with a child's high pitched scream. Fitz leaped to his feet and ran to his lab. Upon seeing the test tubes on the ground, the Scotsman in him came out to play. "What did I tell you? I told you not to touch _anything! _And you deliberately disobeyed me! You know better, I know you know better," he yelled at the top of his longs. He did not see the child crying, while holding her hand. "Go to your bunk right now and don't come out until I say so! Now march!" Without a single world, Jenny ran out of the room.

Then he looked down and saw some blood on the glass. Not a lot, but enough to make him worry. Without a second though, he ran after her. He picked Jenny up, carried her back to the lab and fixed her hand then held her close as she cried into his neck. "Shh, sh," he whispered while rocking her back and forth.

Then whimpered out the one thing that could break him, "I want my mommy back, I want my mommy back. I miss my mommy."

All Fitz could thing as he rocked his child back and forth was, _I want your mommy back, too. _


	5. Chapter 5: Before the Morning

It had been a long day. Jenny Fitz was finally settling down, although she was settling down earlier than she was supposed to. It was one hour before dinner time. Her Daddy was in his lab, finishing up some sort of invention before dinner, like always. Aunt Skye was playing battleship with Uncle Ward. Grandpa Coulson was working, so was Grandma May. All of them were recovering from chasing the young girl around all day.

And now, it was just barely five 'o clock and she was already in her pajamas. It was around this time when she sleepily thought of her Mommy. She would always smile while tucking her in, and every night, unlike tonight, Jenny would fall asleep, feeling warm and safe. Her Mommy had a special way of doing everything. Her Mommy would always tuck her in a special that made her feel like she was in the safest place in the world. And her Mommy would always hum the prettiest song in the world while stroking her hair with the touch of an angel.

But her Mommy wasn't here. It was just her, her teddy bear (a stuffed monkey that she had named Abu) and the snow white blankets. So what could she do? She hummed that song as nicely as she could, but couldn't make it sound as pretty as her Mommy did. And as this little hummed her sad lullaby to herself, she stroked her own hair, but she did not have the touch of an angel like her mother.

As her eyes began to flutter closed and her hand began to stop, someone walked into her small bunk and sighed.

Fitz sat down on the edge of her bed and tucked her in just a little bit better. Then he sang the lyrics to the song she was humming. If he was correct, it was "Lullaby for a Stormy Night." It was Jemma's favorite song, but she could never remember the words, so she'd always be humming it.

"Little child, be not afraid. The rain pounds harsh against the glass, like an unwanted stranger. There is no danger. I am here tonight. Little child, be not afraid. Though thunder explodes and lightning flash illuminates your tearstained face, I am here tonight. And someday you'll know that nature is so. This same rain that draws you near me falls on rivers and land and forests and sand, makes the beautiful world that you see in the morning," he sang softly. "Little child, be not afraid. The storm clouds mask your beloved moon and its candlelight beams still keep pleasant dreams, I am here tonight," Fitz continued. "Little child, be not afraid. The wind makes creatures of our trees, and the branches to hands. They're not real, understand. And I am here tonight."

Leo stopped, but then Jenny's sleepy blue eyes opened and looked up at her father tiredly, begging her to keep going. For her, he continued to sing. "And someday you'll know that nature is so. This same rain that draws you near me, falls on rivers and land and forest and sand, makes the beautiful world that you see in the morning. For you know, once even I was a little child and I was afraid, but a gentle someone always came to dry all my tears and trade sweet sleep the fears, and to give a kiss goodnight," at that part he kissed her forehead before he continued to sing the cascade of notes, sweet and long.

"Well, now I am grown, and these years have shown rain's a part of how life goes. But it's dark and it's late so I'll hold you and wait 'til your frightened eyes do close. And I hope that you'll know that nature is so. This same rain that draws you near me falls on rivers and land and forests and sand makes the beautiful world that you see in the morning. Everything's fine in the morning. The rain will be gone in the morning. But I'll still be here in the morning."

That was the last thing Jenny heard before her little eyes closed and she slipped into a deep sleep, full of dreams of adventures until morning. As she fell asleep, she thought how her Daddy may not tuck her in like her Mommy did, but she liked his way too.


	6. Chapter 6: Superman

After getting his daughter settled, Fitz went into his room for some rest. This room that he would lock himself in every night was the same room that he would face all his troubles. Every night, he would lay himself down to sleep after saying his prayers and dreaming of Simmons: his quirky best friend, his beautiful soul mate, and the most brilliant person he had ever me. Then he'd wake up in the morning, unable to breathe after rolling out of bed and onto his knees. Sometimes he'd wonder if everything was dream and Jemma was waiting outside his door. Or was Jemma even real in the first place?

Other nights, he'd stay up, wondering if she'd stay his love even though she was gone. It wasn't uncommon for the engineer to come to breakfast with bags under his eyes. The normal excuse was, "I was working late," or, "Jen had an awful fright last night and wouldn't let me get back to bed."

Tonight was one of those nights where he was tormented by his own mind with no one to save him from himself, which Leo viewed as a fair price.

Jemma raised a child alone and died in a car crash because she had no one else to pick up said child. No one to depend when things were chaotic, no shoulder to lean on when she grew weary. Maybe if he had been there, things would be different.

Jenny lost her mother because of him, and was brought onto this flying circus he called home, ripped away from everything she had ever known. And on this explosion waiting to happen, his sweet, broken hearted little girl is in constant danger.

The team lost a friend, trusted ally, and valuable asset because he knocked her up and scared her away.

All this heartache that had washed over them was all his fault and he had a price to pay for that.

Leo would gladly give his last breath to his daughter (he's done it before, for Jemma and he'd do it again for Jenny), any day of the week he'd take a bullet for her. If he was going to die, it would be in the field, protecting someone. But, Fitz had no intentions of dying anytime soon, he could not leave his daughter all by her lonesome.

Yes, he'd play superman for everyone else by day, and be his own tormentor by night simply by one false thought: he's ruined everything. The voice inside his mind would taunt, _"See the frowns on their faces? See the tear stains on their cheeks? You did that. That's all you. You ruined Jemma's life by burdening her with a child to raise on her own. You took away Skye's one and only best friend. You completely disrupted Jenny's world. You put Coulson and May through the trouble of finding another biochemist. You made Trip the one person he had to talk to. You've destroyed everything. _

Yes, Agent Leopold Fitz would spend each and every day, being someone else's superman, but this torture he faced himself with was the price he had to pay for destroying their world in the first place.


End file.
